♪♪ >> WE ARE LIVING IN UNPRECEDENTED TIMES.

BUT, ARE WE?

REALLY?

CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING.

IN MARCH OF 2020, MINNESOTA SHUT DOWN TO REDUCE THE SPREAD OF COVID-19.

THAT QUARANTINE CHANGED PRETTY MUCH EVERY ASPECT OF OUR LIVES, FROM WORK TO SCHOOL TO HOW I DO THIS MONOLOGUE.

NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE.

UNPRECEDENTED.

IN 2023, GLOBAL TEMPERATURES WERE WARMER THAN THEY'VE BEEN IN AT LEAST 125,000 YEARS, AS GLOBAL WARMING MOVED FROM FUTURE THREAT TO CURRENT REALITY.

FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF HUMANITY, THAT HAD NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE.

UNPRECEDENTED.

AND THEN, LAST WEEKEND, PRESIDENT BIDEN ANNOUNCED THAT HE WOULD NOT SEEK A RETURN TO OFFICE.

THIS HAPPENED A LITTLE MORE THAN 100 DAYS BEFORE THE NOVEMBER ELECTION.

THAT KIND OF TIMING?

NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE.

UNPRECEDENTED.

SO, BY THE DICTIONARY, YES, THESE ARE UNPRECEDENTED TIMES.

BUT THE IDEA OF "UNPRECE-DENTED," AT LEAST FOR ME, HAS ALWAYS CARRIED THIS SUBTEXT OF "WHOA, DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING."

BUT IF THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE CENTURY HAS TAUGHT US NOTHING ELSE, IT'S TAUGHT US THAT WE SELDOM SEE IT COMING.

WHO COULD HAVE FORETOLD THE IPHONE?

THE EURO?

FROSTED STRAWBERRY MILKSHAKE POP-TARTS?

WE LIKE TO GET COZY WITH OUR PRECEDENTS.

RELY ON THEM.

BUT THAT IS FOLLY.

THE SHEER NUMBER OF UNPRECEDENTED EVENTS IN OUR RECENT HISTORY IS...

UNPRECEDENTED.

AND IT'S A GOOD BET THAT WE WILL SEE MORE PRECEDENTS SHATTERED IN THE WEEKS AND MONTHS TO COME.

HOW TO RESPOND, THEN?

WELL, WE CAN EITHER BE ROLLED OVER BY THE UNPRECEDENTED OR ROLL WITH IT.

YOU CAN MAYBE GIVE THAT SOME THOUGHT AS YOU TUNE IN TO THE BREAKDANCING COMPETITION IN PARIS, A NEW AND UNPRECEDENTED ADDITION AT THE OLYMPICS.